Good Reads & Views

How to Eat: All Your Food and Diet Questions Answered by Mark Bittman and David L. Katz
Nonfiction

What it is: This “artful (or at least competent!) blend of science and sense” is a straightforward resource about the current state of nutrition, debunking myths and addressing diet trends.

Why it stands out: It is formatted as a conversational Q & A with readers. Instead of stating that a food is good or bad, the authors recommend that one should ask what that food is replacing. Is the bagel replacing oatmeal for breakfast or a donut? Is the fruit juice replacing water or a sugary soft drink?

Reviewers say: “A sensible guide to health from two genial experts” (Kirkus Reviews); “a versatile, approachable guide” (Library Journal).

Visit Astrid’s My Librarian Page

Salt: A World History by Mark Kurlansky
Nonfiction

What it is: The history of an ordinary substance, the only rock humans consume. Throughout civilization, salt has been used as currency, influenced the establishment of trade routes, financed wars and secured empires. And flavored our food, of course.

Want a taste? “The Romans salted their greens, believing this to counteract the natural bitterness, which is the origin of the word salad, salted.” “It takes two years for the salt to reach the center of a wheel of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.”

Reviewers say: “Throughout his engaging, well-researched history, Kurlansky sprinkles witty asides and amusing anecdotes. A piquant blend of the historic, political, commercial, scientific and culinary, the book is sure to entertain as well as educate” (Publishers Weekly).

Visit Astrid’s My Librarian Page

Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk
Fiction

What it’s about: First one of her neighbors turns up dead, then other bodies follow. Janina, or Duszejko, as she prefers to be called, is of an advanced age and lives in a remote Polish village. She does not eat meat, prefers the company of animals over humans, and quotes William Blake. She is absolutely sure she knows who is behind the deaths and inserts herself into the investigation.

Want a taste? “The best conversations are with yourself. At least there's no risk of a misunderstanding.” “Being healthy is an insecure state and does not bode well. It's better to be ill in a quiet way, then at least we know what we're going to die of.”

Reviewers say: “Tokarczuk's novel succeeds as both a suspenseful murder mystery and a powerful and profound meditation on human existence and how a life fits into the world around it. Novels this thrilling don't come along very often” (Publishers Weekly). “In her depictions of her characters and their worlds both internal and external Tokarczuk has created something entirely new” (Kirkus Reviews).

Author info: in 2018 Tokarczuk won the Man Booker Prize International for her novel Flights and in 2019 she was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature.

Visit Astrid’s My Librarian Page  

Olive, Again by Elizabeth Strout
Fiction

What it’s about: Retired math teacher Olive is back, and like its predecessor, Pulitzer Prize winning Olive Kitteridge, the novel is told in interlinking stories. Olive is now older and dealing with various changes in her life. Has age mellowed her? You be the judge of that.

Want a taste? “But we’re both old enough to know things now, and that’s good.” “What things?” “When to shut up, mainly.”

Reviewers say: “Beautifully written and alive with compassion, at times almost unbearably poignant. A thrilling book in every way” (Kirkus Reviews); “Exquisite” (Library Journal).

Visit Astrid’s My Librarian Page  

The Food Explorer by Daniel Stone
Nonfiction

What it’s about: The true adventures of one David Fairchild, 19th-century botanist and food explorer, who was responsible for the introduction of various crops to the American marketplace, ranging from avocadoes and mangoes to seedless grapes and pomegranates.

Why you might like it: This adventure story reads like fiction and provides lots of “did you know…” tidbits, like who the Myer lemon is named after and why there are all those avocados being grown in California.

Reviewers say: “An erudite and entertaining historical biography of a food pioneer with particular interest for gastronomes and agriculture enthusiasts” (Kirkus Review).

Visit Astrid’s My Librarian Page  

The Long Call by Ann Cleeves
Fiction

What it is: This first installment in the new Two rivers series by Ann Cleeves, author of the excellent Vera and Shetland series, introduces detective Matthew Venn. An investigation into the stabbing death of a man and the disappearance of two girls with Down Syndrome all turn up connections to the Woodyard Centre, a multi-use community arts centre in Devon, England, run by Matthew’s husband Jonathan.

Want a taste? “The road climbed steeply and then they were looking down at the village of Lovacott: a group of houses clustered around a small square, which was hardly more than the main street widened. A shop that seemed to sell everything, a pub. There was nothing picturesque here. No thatch. It would never have featured in an episode of Midsomer Murders.”

Reviewers say: “Cleeves makes good use of Devon local color and populates this subtle, expertly paced mystery with distinctive supporting characters” (Publishers Weekly).

Visit Astrid’s My Librarian Page  

The Plague Charmer by Karen Maitland
Fiction

What it’s about: 14^th century England; the plague is spreading from village to village. There is a dwarf who was banished from his life as a jester, dead children and one alive wild woman retrieved from a shipwreck, superstition and holy relics, an apocalyptic cult, and the all-around breakdown of society.

Who it’s for: If you like dark and atmospheric, with interesting characters, give this one a try. It is a fascinating look at the Middle Ages and the ways society dealt with the Black Death and superstition.

Want a taste? “What I have to offer you cannot be bought with coins. I have a price, but it is not to be paid in gold or silver.”

Visit Astrid’s My Librarian Page  

The Mausoleum by David Mark
Fiction

What it’s about: The year is 2010. Two old women are waiting for a dying old man to wake up so they can find out what he knows. The women’s story is told in alternating narratives and skips back to 1967 when the women first met in the graveyard of an isolated village by the Scottish border. WWII, espionage, POWs, Nazis, betrayal, they are all part of the story.

Reviewers say: “Deft writing, a plot filled with strange and unexpected twists, vivid characters, and a constant feeling of foreboding make this a gripping and unusual read” (Booklist). “Mark is writing at the top of his game” (Publishers Weekly).

Author notes: Mark is also the author of an excellent series of police procedurals, starting with The Dark Winter, which introduces DS Aector McAvoy.

Visit Astrid’s My Librarian Page

The Word is Murder by Anthony Horowitz
Nonfiction

What it’s about: The mother of a well-known actor makes arrangements for her funeral and ends up murdered hours later. A fictionalized Horowitz, and eccentric police detective Hawthorne, are on the case. Twisty, and great fun.

Want a taste? “As a rule, I don’t go to funerals. I find them too horrible and upsetting and the older I get, of course, the more invitations I receive. As a favour to my friends, I’ll make sure that none of them are told the date of mine.”

Reviewers say: “Horowitz's mystery is as cleverly constructed as the classic whodunits of the golden age, populated by fascinating characters and peppered with fair-play clues” (Publishers Weekly).

Visit Astrid’s My Librarian Page

The Lost Man by Jane Harper
Fiction

What it’s about: Brothers Nathan and Bub haven’t seen each other in months, even though they are neighbors in the remote Australian outback. Now they are brought together when their brother Cameron’s desiccated corpse is discovered a few miles from his fully functioning truck. Why would Cam walk away, without taking water and food, in an area where you might not see anyone for days and the hot and dry conditions can kill a grown man in no time at all? Was it an accident, murder, suicide? Suspicions start to take hold and long-buried family secrets are revealed. 

Reviewers say: “Harper's masterful narrative places readers right in the middle of a desolate landscape that's almost as alien as the moon's surface, where the effects of long-term isolation are always a concern. The mystery of Cam's death is at the dark heart of an unfolding family drama that will leave readers reeling, and the final reveal is a heartbreaker. A twisty slow burner by an author at the top of her game” (Kirkus).

Visit Astrid’s My Librarian Page